Dropshipping Product Niches Guide
This guide will help give you a better idea of the best selling products online and how you can decide which product niche is best for you and your dropshipping business.
When starting an online dropshipping store, you are going to come to a point where you have to make a decision on the type of products you are going to sell. This step should not be taken lightly as it can determine how successful your business can be. A lot of research and thought should go into the process of making a decision on a dropshipping product niche and what to sell online. To help you through this process, we have compiled a list of a few key areas you should take into account when making a choice:
Competition
Depending on the product niche, you are going to have to take competition into consideration. Competitors can come in two different categories: brick and mortar and other online retail stores. Product categories such as electronics and office and school supplies have higher brick-and-mortar competition than other niches, and categories like vitamins and supplements and jewelry and fashion apparel have higher online retail competition. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t implement any of these product niches into your store, it just means you are going to have to work harder at differentiating your brand. There are numerous ways you can do this, such as through your shipping/return policies and your marketing.
Product Costs
A factor that contributes to greater competition and another key area to look at is product cost. Optimal products have low wholesale costs and high MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price), which means a higher profit margin for you. Product niches that have these qualities include fragrances, lingerie and adult products and sports merchandise. But remember that this makes these categories popular among dropshippers, so you will have to set yourself apart to beat out competitors.
Product Weight and Size
Product weight and size are important because it is a determinant of shipping costs. The heavier or larger a product is, the higher the shipping costs. Keeping a product selection on your store under a certain weight is a common practice for many in the dropshipping business so that they don’t lose money on an unexpected, substantial shipping charge. Product niches that have low product weight and size includes jewelry and fashion apparel, vapors and vapor juices and vitamins and supplements.
Source: Dropshipping Business Ideas
Consumer Trends
Depending on the product niche, there are often different types of consumer trends that can contribute to the success of a dropshipping business. For example, the outdoors industry niches, such as hunting, fishing, tactical and camping, have a large segment of enthusiast buyers. What this means is that these people are highly motivated by their passions and their loyalty to certain brands. It isn’t just buying a pack of pens or a charger for their phone. With the enthusiast buyer comes expansive knowledge about the products, so you are going to want to make yourself knowledgeable about the products you are going to sell in order to attract these buyers. It’s also a good idea to highlight top brands featured in your store. Another product niche with these enthusiast buyers is sports merchandise. These types of buyers are incredibly loyal to their different team-branded products, so you can use advertisements to target specific locations with those team’s products in order to garner traffic and conversions in your store. There are also consumers who are often considered “online-first” buyers, which means they will first turn to online retail before taking the time to visit a brick-and-mortar location to find the products they need. Product niches that fall into this trend are pet products, baby products and kid toys as well as lingerie and adult products.
Replenishments and New Products
Another key aspect of product niches you should take into consideration is replenishment times and new product availability. When products have a high replenishment rate, it means that consumers will have to keep returning to purchase a product once it runs out. So, products that have a high replenishment rate include fragrances, vitamins and supplements and office and school supplies. You’ll also want to take into account new product availability, which means a steady stream of new products in a certain niche. When you have a constant stream of new products, you can have an ever-changing product selection, which will bring back consumers time after time to check out your new arrivals. Product niches that typically have this steady flow of new products include fashion apparel, lingerie and sports merchandise.
Below you will find a list of different dropship niches with a lot of the above research done for you. Simply click on a product niche that interests you, and get the research you need to make an informed decision for your online dropshipping business.